• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.111-117
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• 2013

This article evaluates the overall current disease burden of North Korea through the recent databases of international organizations. It is notable that North Korea as a nation is exhibiting a relatively low burden from deaths and that there is greater burden from deaths caused by non-communicable diseases than from those caused by communicable diseases and malnutrition. However, the absolute magnitude of problems from communicable diseases like TB and from child malnutrition, which will increase the disease burden in the future, remains great. North Korea, which needs to handle both communicable and nutritional conditions, and non-communicable diseases, whose burden is ever more increasing in the nation, can now be understood as a country with the 'double-burden' of disease.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.293-300
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• 2021

The study aims to examine the current status and differences in the burden of disease in Korea during 2008-2018. We calculated the burden of disease for Koreans from 2008 to 2018 using an incidence-based approach. Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) were expressed in units per 100 000 population by adding years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs). DALY calculation results were presented by gender, age group, disease, region, and income level. To explore differences in DALYs by region and income level, we used administrative district and insurance premium information from the National Health Insurance Service claims data. The burden of disease among Koreans showed an increasing trend from 2008 to 2018. By 2017, the burden of disease among men was higher than that among women. Diabetes mellitus, low back pain, and chronic lower respiratory disease were ranked high in the burden of disease; the sum of DALY rates for these diseases accounted for 18.4% of the total burden of disease among Koreans in 2018. The top leading causes associated with a high burden of disease differed slightly according to gender, age group, and income level. In this study, we measured the health status of Koreans and differences in the population health level according to gender, age group, region, and income level. This data can be used as an indicator of health equity, and the results derived from this study can be used to guide community-centered (or customized) health promotion policies and projects, and for setting national health policy goals.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.250-257
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• 2011

Objectives: This study was aimed at re-assessing the environmental burden of disease attributable to waterrelated diseases using available local data from Korea. Methods: The general methods and the operational definitions for water, sanitation and hygiene applied to the study were based on an environmental burden of disease study conducted by WHO. Eleven water-related diseases were selected. The attributable fraction for diarrhea was calculated by assessing local exposure levels to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene according the scenario-based approach. The attributable fractions for the other ten diseases were derived from the results of the environmental burden of diseases study. The attributable DALYs were measured by using the attributable fractions and local health statistics. Results: The total environmental burden of disease attributable to water, sanitation and hygiene for Korea was 0.9210 DALY per 1000 capitals. Of the total burden of disease, the attributable burden of diarrhea was 0.8863 (96.1%), the attributable burden of malaria and malnutrition was 0.0236 and 0.0063 DALY per 1000 capitals, respectively. There was little burden of disease measured for other diseases. Conclusions: This study is meaningful in re-assessing the environmental burden of disease using available local exposure data and health statistics. Quantitative analysis of the environmental risk factors and a health impact assessment would be helpful to prioritize health policies or interventions in the future.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.364-375
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate burden and the qualify of life in caregivers who are taking care of home-based rare and incurable disease patients. Methods: The subjects of this study were 300 caregivers of rare and incurable disease patients registered at five health centers in Seoul. A survey was conducted by mail and visit in person during the period from the 25th of March to the 12th of May 2005. Collected data were analyzed through t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient. Result: The mean burden of caregivers was 3.42, and the mean qualify of life of caregivers was 2.71. Burden and QoL showed significant differences according to caregivers' characteristics such as sender, age, relation to the patient, academic qualification, religion, occupation, monthly household income and perceived health condition. Caregivers' burden was in an inverse correlation with their quality of life. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, rare and incurable disease caregivers' burden and their quality of life were in a significant correlation with each other. In order to improve caregivers' quality of life by reducing their burden, we need to reestablish comprehensive policies for rare and incurable disease management including nursing intervention strategies for caregivers.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.387-395
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• 2011

Purpose: This study measured the burden of disease in Korea related to outdoor air pollution using disability-adjusted life year (DALY). Materials and Methods: As a risk factor of outdoor air pollution, particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 ${\mu}m$($PM_{10}$) was used. First, $PM_{10}$-related diseases and their relative risk (RR) were selected by means of a literature review. Second, population attributable fractions were computed by using formulae including RR and population exposure to $PM_{10}$. Third, DALYs of $PM_{10}$-related diseases in Korea were estimated. Finally, the attributable burden of disease due to $PM_{10}$ was measured as the sum of the products that multiplied the DALYs of $PM_{10}$-related diseases by their population attributable fractions. Results: The disease burden of PM10 was 6.9 DALY per 1,000 persons in 2007. The attributable burden of $PM_{10}$ was 2.68 for lung cancer, 2.41 for COPD, 0.62 for ischemic heart disease, 0.61 for pneumonia, 0.55 for asthma, and 0.03 for preterm. Conclusions: This study showed the environmental burden of disease of $PM_{10}$ and burden of $PM_{10}$-related disease through objective data. It also suggested that active efforts are needed to continuously measure and reduce the burden of environmental diseases in Korea.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1-22
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• 2008

Burden of disease analysis provides a unique perspective on health by integrating fatal and non-fatal outcomes, yet allows the outcome of two classes to be examined separately. Although many studies have shown the inequality in health outcomes across socioeconomic status (SES), an analysis and comparison of Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) between different socioeconomic groups has been rare. This paper calculates the DALY and analyzes the distribution of DALYs for different SES. This study draws from 3,278 cases from the survey on "The Livelihood and Welfare Needs of the Elderly (2004)". It first provides a comprehensive assessment of the burden of 10 chronic diseases of the elderly based on DALY. Then this paper analyzes inequalities in the burden of disease by the levels of SES such as education, income, family size, occupation, and subjective economic conditions. For the elderly, the burden of disease is the highest for hypertension, arthritis and cancer. DALY rate per 1,000 people for the most socio-economically disadvantaged group is expressed as a multiple of the standardized rate for the least disadvantaged group (Rate Ratios). Family size is strongly related to. the difference in the burden of disease between SES groups, and the elderly Who live alone have higher DALY rate than those who live with their family. Other significant variables related to SES groups include subjective economic conditions, occupation, elderly income, and household income.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2023

Background: This study aims to compare the burden of disease in Korea with other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries using the OECD health statistics from 1985 to 2020. Methods: We analyzed potential years of life lost (YLL) per 100,000 population using the Positive value for relative comparison (PARC) index, trend test, and average annual percentage change (AAPC) with logistic regression analysis. Results: The relative disease burden was good for many diseases, but the disease burden was severe for a few diseases in Korea. Diseases with a high relative burden of disease in Korea are as follows; intentional self-harm (YLL2020 575.6, AAPCYLL 2.6%; PARC2020 -1.000, AAPCPARC -15.8%), malignant neoplasms of the liver (YLL2020 136.6, AAPCYLL -3.9%; PARC2020 -1.000, AAPCPARC 0.0%), malignant neoplasms of the stomach (YLL2020 9.0, AAPCYLL 3.2%; PARC2020 -0.556, AAPCPARC -22.9%), Parkinson's disease (YLL2020 575.6, AAPCYLL 2.6%; PARC2020 -1.000, AAPCPARC -15.8%). Conclusion: Diseases with a high burden of disease are needed to be prioritized in the planning and execution of healthcare policies that can contribute to the efficient use of healthcare resources.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2022

This study estimated the direct and indirect socioeconomic costs of 238 diseases and 22 injuries from a social perspective in Korea from 2007 to 2015. The socioeconomic cost of each disease group was calculated based on the Korean Standard Disease Classification System. Direct costs were estimated using health insurance claims data provided by the National Health Insurance Service. The numbers of outpatients and inpatients with the main diagnostic codes for each disease were selected as a proxy indicator for estimating patients' medical use behavior by disease. The economic burden of disease from 2007 to 2015 showed an approximately 20% increase in total costs. From 2007 to 2015, communicable diseases (including infectious, maternal, pediatric, and nutritional diseases) accounted for 8.9-12.2% of the socioeconomic burden, while non-infectious diseases accounted for 65.7-70.7% and injuries accounted for 19.1-22.8%. The top 5 diseases in terms of the socioeconomic burden were self-harm (which took the top spot for 8 years), followed by cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, ischemic heart disease, and upper respiratory infections in 2007. Since 2010, the economic burden of conditions such as low back pain, falls, and acute bronchitis has been included in this ranking. This study expanded the scope of calculating the burden of disease at the national level by calculating the burden of disease in Koreans by gender and disease. These findings can be used as indicators of health equality and as useful data for establishing community-centered (or customized) health promotion policies, projects, and national health policy goals.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.89-101
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• 2001

This study estimated the burden of disease due to hypertension in Korea in disability-adjusted life years(DALYs) using vital registration data and the National Health Examination Survey data. Firstly, we estimated the years life lost due to premature death (YLLs) of hypertension using the vital registration data. Secondly, to calculate the years lived with disability (YLDs), we estimated the average age at onset and disease duration using the National Health Examination Survey data. The disability weights for hypertension were estimated by person trade off method. Finally, the burden of hypertension was calculated in DALYs, which are the sum of YLLs and YLDs. The burden of hypertension for males was attributed mainly to YLD(97.9%). DALYs for females were also attributed mainly to YLD(96.7%). DALYS for males were 993,950 person-years and for females were 743,282 person-years. Results of this study provide a rational basis to plan a national health policy regarding the disease burden of hypertension in Korea. We will need accurate epidemiological study results and other study results of national burden of disease in Korea to get more accurate results of this burden of disease study.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.283-293
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• 2015

Purpose: Depression is a common sign of suffering among the patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Frequent and severe neuropsychiatric symptoms lead to high levels of distress in patients and their caregivers, which results in the high levels of caregiver burden. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of caregiver burden in caregivers of the patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: The study included 183 consecutive PD patients and their caregivers. Patients were assessed using the Hoehn and Yahr scale, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale. Caregivers' depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Caregiver Burden Inventor (CBI), BDI, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale. Results: All of the patients reported one or more neuropsychiatric symptoms. Patients' and caregivers' depressive symptoms, caregivers' age and education, time for caregiving, and quality of life were significantly associated with the increased caregiver burden. After controlling the level of education as a potential confounding variable, depression in both patients and caregivers, time for caregiving, and quality of life explained 45.6% of the variance in caregiver burden. Conclusion: Substantial attention needs to be given to the early identification of depression in PD patients and their caregivers to improve caregivers' quality of life and burden.